Gareth Dunlop Dishes on Touring Life, Songwriting Process, and “Animal”

2023 appears to be a very busy year for you as you will be touring with the likes of Lucy Spraggan, Bonnie Raitt and Josh Turner as well as your own shows including the Lower 3rd in London, United Kingdom. How did these special guest opportunities arise and has it been difficult keeping them a secret before they were officially announced?

It’s hard not to shout it from the rooftops when a legend like Bonnie Raitt asks you to open up the shows on her tour… but I learned a long time ago that nothing is final until it’s final… Thankfully all of the shows with Lucy, Bonnie and Josh are locked in! Each one came about in a different way. I was pitched for Lucy’s tour and asked to join Bonnie’s tour through her team and I’ve known Josh’s manager for a long time through going back and forth to Nashville.

Do you have any favoured stage guitars/effects?    

When it comes to effects I’m pretty basic… even on the rare times I play electric guitar – I usually put it straight into an amp and turn it up. It’s the same with acoustic guitar… in a perfect world I’d mic the acoustic even for live shows… but that’s never really possible, especially with a full band playing behind me. Most of the time it’s either my Lowden or Eastman plugged straight into a DI. Both guitars have pickups which use an internal microphone – even then I’ll usually favour the Piezo bridge pickup.

Where is your hometown and could you please describe it in 5 words?

I’m from Belfast …born and bred. Real, friendly, humble, historic and diverse

Your latest album entitled “Animal” is out now. How did you want to approach this album and was it a difficult album to write?

When I wrote the title track of the album it didn’t feel like anything I’d written before… It felt like I’d found a new place to pull from. The hardest part of getting the rest of the songs together was keeping that door open and staying away from old habits. Sonically I was getting into more synth and electronic-based music so I wanted to see how those sounds and textures would work with my Americana roots.

Could you tell me about the inspiration behind the track ‘My Kind Of Paradise’?

I’d been out in America for an unusually long period of time and was really missing home. I had a day off and found myself on a beach in LA under the sun looking at the palm trees, and the ocean… and all I wanted at that moment was to be home. It felt strange to be somewhere so idyllic and not be able to soak it up the way everyone else around me was. I jotted down a few loose ideas, went back to my hotel room and the rest came out.

I read online that you recorded with the legendary bassist ‘Michael Rhodes’ who we sadly lost earlier this year. What did you record together and what was that experience like?

Getting the chance to work with Michael in the studio will forever be a highlight of my career. One of the very first studio sessions I did out in Nashville was with Michael and Nir Z… I was as nervous as I’ve ever been and Michael was a reassuring and encouraging presence the whole way through. Up until then, I hadn’t done much ‘straight to tape’ recording so everything had to be worked out in real-time before the tape rolled. What he put against my simple chord progressions went way beyond what I ever experienced before that. His approach to music was inspiring and it was infectious to be around. We went on to record in the studio together over the years that followed that first session. Michael played on ‘Fools Desire’, ‘Step Inside’, ‘Tonight is The Night’ and a whole bunch of others, some of which will be making a return to Spotify in the near future. 

How do you look after your voice?

I try to get as much rest as possible when I’m out on tour… and drink as much water as I can.

What two things do you hope to have achieved once you have left the stage?

 Above everything else my hope is that people feel connected in some small way to what I’m singing about… that’s why I go to see bands and artists play live… to get a better look at myself through what’s being sung on stage. Outside of that – to have a great time! I think somewhere along the way the word ‘play’ when we talk about playing music gets lost and not taken literally enough!

Do you have any plans for more songwriting and recording this year alongside live shows?

The next album is in the works and due for release early next year!

I never really stop writing for too long – I’m always messing with something in the studio when I’m not gigging.

What makes Gareth Dunlop happy and what makes Gareth Dunlop sad?

Feeling like I’ve put my mark on the day and used the time in it the best I can, whether it’s time spent with family and friends or making headway with a song in the studio, makes me happy. What makes me sad… I’d have to say the opposite of what makes me happy… days wasted and not seized… Carpe Diem!